Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Diction Blog
On page 62 of The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald utilizes gloomy diction to develop a lonely, dull tone. When Nick is observing the city people he mentions that “the dark lanes of the Forties were five deep with throbbing taxi cabs” (62). Using the word “dark” to describe the lanes depicts their emptiness in vivacity, as “dark” literally is a word describing the absence of light and the narrator is using it figuratively, and perhaps literally as well, to describe the clear lack of livelihood. Additionally stating that the cabs were “throbbing” further elaborates this sullen tone in that “throbbing” is commonly associated with a heart’s beating, which in this situation suggests Nick’s heart’s lack of liveliness.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I truly enjoyed that you used this specific quote and talked about light and dark, which has often been a theme in past novels we have read in high school. You did an excellent job in describing how Fitzgerald solidifies his gloomy diction to create the lack of joy and spirit in this scene. However, i think that you could have incorporated more examples of this gloomy diction and gone on to analyze how the author conveys this tone throughout various aspects of the novel. I understand that you were away on business Galen and i hope you enjoyed such a great opportunity! Back to business, overall great explanation of the quote you chose, but it needs more examples to further emphasize the point you are trying to get across.
ReplyDelete